Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

The Good
I own a lot to this game and its creators. I learned how to value lesser or different life, the importance of ecology, economy, diplomacy, how to see into future and what the future might bring us. The game designer vision and especially execution is flawless and after years of playing there are still elements and strategies that I've missed, never to be used. The game offers you unlimited possibilities but doesn't burden you with them. You can do whatever you chose to do do play and win the game. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES, A TRUE MASTERPIECE

The Bad
I love everything, even the dated isometric graphics

The Bottom Line
The most complex and rewarding game ever. Dated graphics and extremely high complexity can be a problem now for some gamers.

The Good
Pretty much everything. Specifically, the AI and the ability to customize units are a big plus when compared to other games like Civ/Civ II. Also there are some new unit management features which help prevent the end game from being a huge micro management nightmare. The combat system and Diplomacy options have been refined since Civ.

The Bad
While I liked the new 3D graphics, it's sometimes hard to tell where your pieces are located. The game is great, but it's basically Civ II with some added features and refinements (I haven't tried out the multi-player support).

The Bottom Line
A fun game that has the same adictive qaulities as most Sid Meier / Brian Reynolds games. You start out on an empty planet with six other factions. World domination is your goal. You build your empire city by city, and advance your technologies discovery by discovery. As you improve, you will be able to create bigger and better city improvements and more powerfull combat units. If you do the right things, you will be victorious.

The Good
Ok, before I go on, please know that I own and love Civilization 2 and Civilization 3. Thank you.

When I first got this, i was excited. I had heard almost nothing bad about it, it had received PC Gamer's highest rating ever, and everyone said this was awesome. At first, I thought they were right. The graphics are improved from the original Civilization 2, and the interface seemed pretty much the same. Also, the Wonder Movies, like Civilization 2, were awesome.

The Bad
Then I began playing and realized how "un-fun" this was. I had no idea what any of the improvements or techs were. Should I research Polyphormic Encryption or Synthetic Phase Theory? Gee, the answer is obvious, isn't it? Polyphormic Encryption leads to Quantum flux which lets me modulate my phase variance, whereas Synthetic Phase Theory only allows me too create droids with upgraded logic data processors. Got all that? I didn't. You either know the techs and understand what they are, or you just bumble along, having no clue or clear direction about what you are researching except that "this tech is in the war field, and this other one is in the social field." The ability to create your own units sounds terrific, but proves to be a waste of effort. All the units that are worth any effort are already automatically made by the computer. Speaking of units, unlike in civ 2 where old, useless, antiquated units are replaced by more advanced units in the build menu, in this game, they aren't. So you either have too constantly clear out the old units, or leave them there and scroll through them all.

The Bottom Line
Basically, what you have here is Civilization 2 with poorer controls and much less accessibility. It's just too hard to get into. Civilization II on the other hand, is easy to sit down and play. You'll have to look at the manual every so often, but you can understand the basic concepts of the game such as what "archery" does.